***Official*** Australia in England (The Ashes)

[Mister Wright]

I think he'll be out of the 3rd test, but come back for the 4th test. He will want to play and he must hate missing any games.

He wanted to play in the 2nd test, but the fact is, if you are not fit enough to play, no matter how much you want to play - you can't.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Absolutely top hole. Disagree with the honours shared conclusion, I make England ahead purely on being asked to bat and making 400+. On the game as a whole it's about 55/45 England I reckon, having the runs on the board. Could all change tomorrow of course.

Top hole?

Anyway, I agree about England having the runs on the board being an advantage, and 55-45 is probably about right. I don't think 407 is a particularly wonderful or poor score on this pitch though, at least as its playing right now. As people have said, it will probably become more difficult to bat on later on, but if Australia apply themselves it shouldn't be a problem at all tomorrow, especially given how badly the conditions will nullify Harmison in particular. Jones might well be a problem if it swings, I guess we'll find out if it does.

Personally I think Hoggard will swing it a little bit with the new ball, but Jones hardly at all, similar to Lee. Both of them can swing the ball a fair way when conditions are helping them, but not all the time. If Jones does get it to swing though, Australia could have some problems. Really, the top three need to stand up and make some decent runs, because if Australia are 0/100 or something, 407 won't look so daunting.

 

[Mister Wright]

England really need to bowl Australia out for around 300, 350 at most. They will need a big lead, if Warne can spin it a mile before lunch on the first day imagine what he will do on the 3rd and 4th days. England will want to at least set Australia 300 in the last innings.

 

[honestbharani]

Man, was that an entertaining day of cricket... I absolutely loved the way everyone took Australia on. But I was terrribly disappointed by Tresco's shot (if you can call it one). I mean, it reminded me of John Wright holding his bat out to give the slips and the keeper catching practice. And I don't know why he did that when he was in such good form. Vaughan's shot is understandable, atleast, because he does get a lot of runs with his pull/hook. Flintoff's shot wasn't that great but that is the way he plays. But, pray tell me, why is Bell (who was made out to be the next Tendulkar) not even able to get to double figures? I mean, it is funny to remember how before the tests began, all the talk was about Pieterson or Thorpe and Bell was like a certainty. I get the feeling things would have been far far better for England if Thorpe was in there instead of Bell. I am getting the feeling even Butcher would have been a better option than Bell.



I agree with Mister Wright. England should try and drive home the advantage now. An early wicket or two would help. But I am not sure about that. The wicket looks just right for the likes of Hayden, Ponting and Gilchrist to make big runs in.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

England really need to bowl Australia out for around 300, 350 at most. They will need a big lead, if Warne can spin it a mile before lunch on the first day imagine what he will do on the 3rd and 4th days. England will want to at least set Australia 300 in the last innings.

Right now, with McGrath out and Australia having to bat last, England should really win this test, all things equal. If they can bowl Australia out for 300 odd and then add another 250 with the bat, that's definately an extremely difficult target on a wicket which should be turning and uneven. A golden opportunity to square the series, really.

 

[shaka]

The pitch will get better and this may help Lee to improve his performance, so it will be a testing time for the English team.

 

[vic_orthdox]

No doubt, the start is the key. If Aus reach 100 only one or two down, suddenly the total becomes very surmountable, especially with two batsmen set. Compare that to 3/100, and Australia would be lucky to get within 70 odd.

The other thing to note is how no Englishmen ended up with 100. One of the strengths of the Australia team is their conversion rate from 50s to 100s. Hayden, Langer, Ponting all have excellent conversion rates, and rarely would you see an Aus side with 3 scores over 50 but no hundreds - that's the difference between a 400 and a 500 score.

 

[howardj]

Right now, with McGrath out and Australia having to bat last, England should really win this test, all things equal. If they can bowl Australia out for 300 odd and then add another 250 with the bat, that's definately an extremely difficult target on a wicket which should be turning and uneven. A golden opportunity to square the series, really.

I agree with that. I think, just reflecting, Australia's cricketing empire is really built upon McGrath - when he is missing, Australia struggle/lose. As I read on Baggygreen, I think he has missed nine Tests in his career. In those nine tests, Australia lost to India in 1997/98 (he missed the whole tour); Australia drew with India in 2003/04 (he missed the whole series - our bowling got spanked in both Adelaide and Sydney) and; in 2003 in Sydney, where England piled on the runs, and Australia lost. I'm not saying that Australia haven't got other magnificent players, but what takes that team virtually unbeatable is McGrath. Without him, Australia is merely a good team.

 

[Woody_cloudofsm]

i think howard j makes a very good point i am from sydeny and am a madras born indian and let me tell you if macgrath had been playing at the scg it wouldnt have mattered at all because once vvs laxman is in supremem touch no one not even sachin or lara can touch him we saw his maiden test century at the scg back in 98 i think it was in a lost cause he made 167 of the most glorious runs u will ever see and not even glen mcgrath could stop him or abdul razzak at the scg 5 fours in an over u need to have a calculated assault on mcgrath romesh kaluwitharana in 96 he took to mcgrath for 76 in 9 overs in a one day game. Mcgrath has unbleievable guile and control dun get me wrong australia isnt nearly as strong without him. however smart calculated stroke play can combat him. Also Marto is guna pile on the runs along with his aussie mates on that track the ball bounces like a tennis ball on sydneys pennant hills road. More like a subcontinental type pitch that takes slow turn warne will be the key. i still think australia will win this test match england may get away with a draw but the rate at which they scored their runs is gunna be an advantage for the aussies. Harmison and Flintoff will bowl short and get taken u cant be digging it in on that wicket. Ashley Giles couldnt get my down syndrome cousin out just to put the record straight for anyone who claims he can turn a cricket ball.

 

[King_Ponting]

Funny how the TV commentators were talking about how much bigger a ground it is than Lords...

I believe they showed it's about 65-70m

Yards actually

 

[social]

Yards actually

Its tiny whatever it is.

 

[King_Ponting]

yep very small. smaller than your average U17's ground here in aus.

 

[King_Ponting]

England simply played well, and the aussie bowlers, apart from some patches of brilliance from warn, kaspa and gillespie, bowled tripe for most of the day. Pontings decision to bowl first was warranted, given the speculation about the pitch before the match from the curator and plus the last 3 test matches at edgbaston, the team boling first has won by an innings.... Really poor bowling and fielding which let australia down combined with some brilliant batting by england.

 

[Craig]

I agree with that. I think, just reflecting, Australia's cricketing empire is really built upon McGrath - when he is missing, Australia struggle/lose. As I read on Baggygreen, I think he has missed nine Tests in his career. In those nine tests, Australia lost to India in 1997/98 (he missed the whole tour); Australia drew with India in 2003/04 (he missed the whole series - our bowling got spanked in both Adelaide and Sydney) and; in 2003 in Sydney, where England piled on the runs, and Australia lost. I'm not saying that Australia haven't got other magnificent players, but what takes that team virtually unbeatable is McGrath. Without him, Australia is merely a good team.

And take out Shane Warne out as well - I mean they have approx 1100 wickets between themselves so they must be doing something right.

I don't know if anybody else got the feeling as well that Brett Lee showed he may not be up to this level of cricket despite what he does in ODIs? He has this knack of proving himself to get back into the team, does it, takes wickets and does the job on recall and then bowl crap next time around.

 

[Craig]

England simply played well, and the aussie bowlers, apart from some patches of brilliance from warn, kaspa and gillespie, bowled tripe for most of the day. Pontings decision to bowl first was warranted, given the speculation about the pitch before the match from the curator and plus the last 3 test matches at edgbaston, the team boling first has won by an innings.... Really poor bowling and fielding which let australia down combined with some brilliant batting by england.

How flat was the wick though?

Hayden and Langer must be licking their lips at this pitch and outfield. My first impression/s of the outfield was that it is easier to hir a four then a two or a three. Then again all the outfields I have seen of Edgbatson have been like this.

The one disaapionting this is that there were no hundreds by England and especially so by Trescothick. Let's face it - he has been mediorce against Australia in the past and threw a way a goldend chance to make a big ton to prove his critics wrong. A 90 is by no means a bad score - but a 100 would have been so much better.

 

[King_Ponting]

yep i must admit i was suprised at the flattness of the deck. it looked very green on tv......

If i saw that kind off deck, before anyone had used it, in a grade match i'd be wanting a bowl.

 

[luckyeddie]

The pitch will get better and this may help Lee to improve his performance, so it will be a testing time for the English team.

The pitch will get worse - far worse before the end of day 3 in all likelihood. Both sides will struggle a bit in their second innings.

(or do you mean, by 'improving his performance', better for Lee to bowl on, i.e. got a groove in it so he can roll the ball underarm to the vicinity of the batsman's off stump?)

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Top hole?

It just means, "good show I liked it".

 

[andyc]

so we're five innings into the ashes and there's been no centuries. is that a record by any chance?

 

[twctopcat]

If Mcgrath is out for the series as i have an inkling he may be, then we def have a chance from in on in for the remaining tests. With every respect to kasprowicz and gillespie, with Mcgrath out then if England keep on trying to improve against playing Warne then we can bat ourselves into position in every game.
As for today i think Jonesy will swing both the new and old ball, could be a real handful.